Fire Emblem Fates: Wandering Spirit
by NerdWithALotOfTime
Summary: A Princess rejects the path of light and dark, hoping to find a path where the truth lies. A man without a past stands by her, searching for his soul while aiding his long time friend. OC deuteragonist. Slight changes to plot but keeps overall story. *The Simpler Days - He found himself arising to the gentle cries of a girl: awaking to a new life of warmth and comfort.*
1. The Simpler Days: A Fated Meeting

**Welcome, whatever size audience is currently reading this story! As you may have noticed this story has an OC! This may be alarming but I assure you, while there are some aspects to him that are somewhat OP. I do not plan on him being at the main center point of the story, after all we have Corrin for that... And with this story, I plan on having some changes to the main story of Fates as many people do have gripes with it and I hope to remedy some of that while also putting in some random character. Anyways if you haven't turned away yet, please enjoy "Fire Emblem Fates: Wandering Spirit!"**

* * *

**_"Wake up…"_** A voice unfamiliar to him breathed out.

'_Mhmm… huh? Who…'_

**_"It's time to wake up…"_** The voice breathed out once more, attempting to soften its rough voice that caused the boy to jitter with fear.

'_W-who are you?'_

_"It's time to wake up, dear…"_ This time, a different voice called out to him. The previous voice seemed to be that of an old man, their voice oddly sounding as if they were in a cave. Echoing off the walls in his head as they bellowed. But this voice… it was so- familiar.

_"Auggie, sweetheart."_ This voice was a woman. Her soft tone beginning to comfort the boy, his nerves starting to release all tension. He began to slowly open his eyes to see her once again.

'_Huh… M-mom?... Mother… Is that you?'_

"...Are you okay?!" A voice called out, fear and worry ingrained in her voice. But it wasn't _her_. She had a more shrill voice in comparison to the woman from before. Unlike the voice from before, that was more mature and calming. This voice seemed too young and… overwhelmed?

'_Wha?-'_

"...Milady…-shouldn't run-...dangerous.." Another voice rang in his ears, a young male. Ringing elegantly but stern as he referred to the shrill voice.

"Jakob…-shouldn't-...leave him here.." Another voice rolled in, another girl with a voice softer than the one from before yet calming like a cool breeze.

Two other voices seemed to emerge, another young girl with the same cool breeze of a voice yet slightly more… energetic? And a voice strong and powerful, but relaxed as he spoke with the others. However, those four were drowned out as the shrill voice from before had completely surrounded him.

"Please! Tell me you're okay!" He managed to crack his eyes open as this final plea gathered his attention back to what was happening. He was sleeping… on the ground… and apparently, some people just can't help themselves but interrupt a quick nap-

But as soon as he opened his eyes, he found the slightest of sunlight that leaked through the clouds. Shit, he overslept… Didn't he? And he was basically sleeping on someone's residence, right?

He quickly heaved himself up, ready to apologize for his loitering and leave without any trouble-

_SMACK_. He was quickly knocked back onto the ground, curling in pain as he slammed his forehead against something hard. Howling in pain as he gingerly rubbed his head with the sleeve of his cloak, but he didn't exactly expect to hear another howl of pain to occur.

Turning around, he saw a girl holding her forehead the same way as he. She was dressed in a small black dress, looking to be freshly cleaned with a blue ribbon tied around her waist and was also barefoot for some odd reason. She had short, curly platinum hair that reached her shoulders with a black hair band that held her hair back. And what seemed to the oddest of features was her pointed ears. Almost like an elf. And when she opened her eyes to let the tears of pain seep through, she looked to have blood red iris. _Strange girl…_ Wait, crap. She was _crying._

Three kids who looked to be around her age huddled around her with concern as she cringed in pain. There was a boy with pale skin and long gray hair, tied back with a black bow and into a ponytail. He was dressed in a white dress shirt with a purple vest and black trousers. Looking like some kind of a butler.

Beside him were two girls dressed in maid costumes that had even paler skin than the boy, one had light blue hair tied in pigtails and the other had her pink haired tied into a ponytail.

As the two girls tended to their friend, the boy gazed back at him with eyes that looked as if it could pierce him. Oops, he just head butted her, didn't he? Welp, so much for _no trouble_.

"Uhhh-hey?" He gave a meek smile with a jittering wave of his hand, the long sleeves of his cloak whipping around as he waved. Eliciting furrowed brows from the boy but at least gaining no apparent disdain from the two maids judging on their neutral expression towards him. "Sorry about that, I shouldn't have… head butt ya like that." He apologized, speaking with a very faint village accent.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his head with an attempt at straight smile. Unfortunately, looking odd at best and forced at worst.

But luckily this got a smile from his accidental victim. Standing up to look face to face with him, tears wiped away clean. "No, no! It's my fault! I shouldn't have got so close to your face as I did. Forgive me…" She gave a small of her head with a soft smile laid onto her face.

This eased the tension here, but unfortunately, _somebody _had to say something. "Lady Corrin, I know you aren't spiteful by nature. But are you really going to allow a scoundrel to just invade your property like this!"

"I wasn't invading nothing." He retorted back at the boy in front of him. "I was gonna-" Thinking back to how he referred her to as _Lady_, he realized it would have been best for him to speak more formally. "_I was planning on sleeping here for only a little bit_, your walls seemed protected in comparison to the rest of Nohr and I thought that it would be safe to sleep without any thieves attacking me or any other threat that could steal from me in my sleep. Unfortunately, I overslept. And found myself head butting you, again my apologies…"

"So you've decided to rest here for safety, there. Let's leave it at that. Jakob, try not to be so tense." The old voice from before had spoken up, the source originating from an old man in heavy black armor who stepped forward. He had a stern face with a scar that laid on the right side of his face. He gestured to the gray one with the slightest of smiles on his face with the boy scowling in response. He deeply gazed at the five, not sensing any hostility from them, except for the gray one. Although he seemed to be more annoyed rather than violent.

"_Well, speaking of leaving._" He muttered as he reached for a bag that was near his left boot, strapping it under his left shoulder. He bent down once more for a steel sword with a design quite unique. Being a blade that was as wide as it's silver hand guard but retained a shape like that of the weapons in Nohr. But what was the oddest was when he just placed it onto his back, no sheath or anything. And it stuck!

"See ya…" He started his pace, hoping to get to his next destination quick before nightfall-

"Wait!" _Oh boy, what now?_ He thought as he turned around, a large smile forcibly plastered on his face to meet with the strange girl that called for him.

"Yes? …Corrin? Right?" He thought back to how to the gray-haired one had called her by her name. Wait, he also called milady right? Hmm… the first time he's ever met with a noble. And quite a strange meeting as well with all that's happened… And that would mean that the other four are just servants? Makes sense with how that gray one was ready to pounce on him for hurting his liege.

"Yeah!" She bobbed her head in confirmation, a light smile still resting on her face. She gestured to the four servants next to her. Starting with the grey one. "This is Jakob, Flora, Felicia, and Gunther! Umm… what's your name?"

"My name…. doesn't matter- it's not like we'll ever cross paths again." This elicited a smile from the gray one, Jakob, and a disappointed frown from Corrin.

"B-but-" She meeked out, almost sad in the tone of her voice.

"So again, goodbye and sorry about the head butt- Gff!" He began to stumble in the midst of his walk, he curled over with a large pain in his stomach. Gods, did it hurt! Like a badger that was clawing away at his insides. It sounded like a dragon's bellow that could tear- He was hungry, wasn't he? He hadn't eaten a proper meal in like, two-three weeks?

_Gods damn it_. He mentally cursed himself as his vision faded and his body collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

As he began to return back to reality, he found himself wrapped in a layer of soft cloth that kept him warm. He was on top of a surface that cushioned his back and seemed as if as he was laying on a cloud. His head was laid onto a soft platform that slightly elevated him. He also noticed how his stomach was no longer trying to rip his insides. _Did somebody feed him?_

He cracked his eyes open to see the elegant red sheets of cloth and the pillowy surface that snuggled him. Gods did he miss sleeping on a bed regularly. During his travels, the times he would get the chance to sleep in an inn were too far and in between with how expensive they were for him. He would always try to buy a cot to remedy this, but unfortunately, he would wake with it crushed underneath him due to its poor structure. _Damn cheapskates, selling him cheaply made_ garbage...

_'Wait. Hold on, why am I in a bed? Where am I?' _He jerked himself up from the pillowy surface, this time without a person hovering over him. He looked around to find himself in a small room with the window opened and the small breeze seeping into the room.

_'Huh… nice place.' _He admired the bed frame's sleek design and the walls colored silk white with the carpet underneath him in the same shade of red. There were two large drawers on both sides of the room and a circular table that was near the door. He looked up to see a black chandelier that hung down with its candles unlit. It truly was a marvel to look at, seeing a bedroom like this.

_'Wait, what in the hell am I doing? I should get outta here-' _But his thoughts were interrupted as he heard the door cracking opening, revealing that pink haired maid from before.

"You're awake!" She squeaked out, but before he could respond she rushed out of the door frame and into another room, the door being closed by the wind's weak push. _Well, that was something…_

He brushed aside the sheets that covered him and stood from the bedside when he finally noticed something was wrong. _'Where's my cloak? ...Where did my cloak go?!' _

He frantically searched the room for his prized cloak. Looking underneath the sheets of the bed, the wooden drawers, underneath the table, anywhere that it could possibly be. Finding nothing, he ran to the door to demand his captors where his cloak could be-

"HEY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

"-AUGH!"

He pushed back by a swing of the door, conking into his right temple. And the force of the push knocked him into the wall, his left temple crashing against it. He was squeezed in between the door and wall like a very tight sandwich. And judging based on that voice, he knew exactly who was currently squishing the life out of him.

"Oh, gods! I'm so sorry!" That Corrin girl released him from her capture, allowing him to breathe and rubbed the bruises on his head. As he gazed over to the girl, she was already bowing her head in apology. He also noticed her servants behind her, the gray- Jakob… was holding back a laugh seeing his liege accidentally abuse him. What an ass… The blue maid, Flora? She was grinning at him much like that damn butler, however, unlike Jakob, her smile was more welcoming and warm. Somewhat ironic considering the cold aura that she was radiating. The girl with pink hair, Felicia if he remembered correctly, was sharing the same welcoming smile although her's was shown to be more nervous with her slight jitters and skittish eyes that struggled meet eye contact with him. Truly a strange group of people…

"Uh, don't worry about it…" He referred back to Corrin's apology. Keeping a smile as he looked her in the eyes and Corrin returning that same smile. Giving the chance to study her strange features, He examined her ears, still pointed and her eyes still red but he also noticed that her incisor teeth were sharper and larger than normal, sticking out like a sore thumb in her rows of teeth. Never in his six years of traveling as he came across something like her, perhaps she was one of those half-animal, half-human beings he came across in his readings. But the Wolfskin and Kitsune were described as has to have noticeable ears that were long enough to reach the top of their heads that meshed with their hair, however, Corrin's ears weren't cover in fur and weren't _that long_. She also didn't have a tail… Probably should have been a clearer sign that she wasn't one of those species.

Well, perhaps one of his journals had more information about her case- wait a minute, his journals! His sword! HIS CLOAK!

"WHERE'S MY STUFF!" He screamed out, not realizing that he basically yelled at the girl in front of him out of the blue. Causing the four to flinch with the volume of his voice, startling them. "Where did you put my stuff!?" He lowered voice but still kept the intensity of his previous shout as he pressed the girl for answers.

"Oh! Jakob went to clean your cloak and I asked Flora to hold onto your bag, Gunther is currently keeping your sword so you can go ask him for it…" She softly explained, still retaining a light smile on her face. "Jakob, could you go get it for him?"

"Of course, milady." He gave a stern bow to Corrin but quickly flashed a furrowed gaze at their 'guest'. _What even was his problem with him anyway? _He didn't anything necessarily wrong, well except when he basically decided to sleep on their lawn, when he head butted his liege. Okay, there were _some things_ he did wrong but still, he doesn't need to be an ass about it.

"Umm… what's your name?" Corrin's voice brought his attention back to her, asking the same question she asked hours before. It was hours ago right? Earlier in the day, the sun seemed to have been recently risen over the horizon while as of now, the sun seemed to tell that it was noon. But anyways, back to Corrin.

"As I said before, my name doesn't matter since I'll be leaving as soon as I get my stuff back. I appreciate you and your servants taking care of me but I'd rather not stay here any longer than I should..." This answer caused the girl pout at him, a mix of slight anger and mostly disappointment shown on her face.

Jakob stepped into the room with the cloak folded neatly and clean of any previous dirt or stain. "Here you are then, Gods this cloak was filthy though I didn't exactly expect _someone who lazily goes around asleep on other's residence to be the most hygienic of people_. But I do have to admit, this is a well-crafted cloak." He was right, the cloak was designed with a primarily white coloration with blue outlines with golden colored buttons with strings to fasten it together. And on the back, it held the symbol of a dragon head in blue. The symbol was still a mystery as to what it meant however he still remembers the woman who fashioned this cloak for him... What little memories he had of her.

"Thanks." He grumbled towards Jakob as he reached for the folded cloth, taking a little offense to the part where he snuck in an insult to him. But before he could get his cloak back, Corrin quickly snatched it in her hands. Jakob already leaving without questioning his liege for her act of theft.

"Hey, what the hell!"

"Felicia, hold him back!" She ordered her maid as the boy charged for her. Surprisingly, she was able to overpower him. _This little maid…_ As she held him back from getting to her liege, she squeaked out an "I'm sorry". This didn't exactly make him feel better.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TAKING MY STUFF!" He yelled once more, eliciting another squeak from Felicia. _'This Corrin girl is making me insane!'_

"Okay, okay… I'll give it back, but first, you have to tell your name!"

"...Are you-Is that seriously, so important to you?! " This judgment from the boy caused the girl to blush. Her gaze averting his own.

"Yes… because I can't just let you go without at least knowing your name…I'm sorry but I… want to know you somewhat… I'm sorry." She softly admitted, her eyes filled with remorse as she cast her gaze towards the ground. '_Just how many times was this girl gonna say sorry?'_

Seeing this display, he began to soften. Audibly sighing, before giving in to her demands.

"August…"

"Hm?" She quickly perked up from her previous state.

"My name, it's August."

"Like… the month?" She tilted her head to the side like a puppy that was confused when their owner spoke to them.

"Yeah, like the month."

"It's… a nice name." She whispered out with a bright smile on her face but made sure it was loud enough to for him to hear.

"Thank you. Now can you please give me my stuff back, Corrin?" He held out his hand, shifting his fingered inwards repeatedly to emphasize his request.

"Heh, sure thing, _August._" She grinned at the boy with the new revelation of his name showing her sharp teeth as if she was _proud_ of being able to get a name from him. She handed over his cloak, Corrin turned her attention to her maid nearby the doorway. "Flora, can you get his bag for me?"

"Of course, milady." She gave a quick bow as she walked to another room.

"Oh, and Felicia…"

"Yes, Lady Corrin?"

"You can let go of August now." She giggled seeing her maid continue to hold August in a headlock.

"Ah!" Realizing what she was doing, the maid quickly released him from her grasp. His arms being left all sore. "S-sorry August!"

"D-don't worry about it…" He mumbled with a small shade of pink that crawled onto his face. As odd as it was, he was basically being hugged by a cute girl. August slipping his arms into the over sized coat that stopped at his feet and sleeves that he had to roll up. Getting that same old snuggly feeling that draped onto his shoulders, gods did this cloak feel great...

"Ahem!" Jakob coughed into his hand, gaining the attention of the three in the room. "Well… with that all settled, Lady Corrin, it's time for your lunch. Come now, I've already prepared some Surf and Turf for you."

"Oooh, Wow! Thanks, Jakob!" Corrin skipped out of room with a large smile with Felicia in tow, leaving Jakob satisfied with his work as he saw his liege bounce towards the dinner table with excitement.

"Wait, what's Surf and Turf?" And that warm feeling was gone as he turned his attention back to the stray dog that Lady Corrin had recently taken in. _Hopefully, this dog would be kicked back onto the streets soon._

"Something that you don't need to worry about." The butler shot back at their guest, causing him to scowl back at the butler. "After all, you are leaving quite soon aren't you?"

"Well first, I am leaving so you need not worry about that… Second, I just asked you a simple question. You don't have to be so snarky about it… Which brings me onto my third point, you have been the biggest jerk that I've ever had the displeasure to come across in my travels. And I haven't even known you for a day! Perhaps if you loosen that aspect of yourself, people _might _like you more_…_"

"Well! I don't need to _'loosen myself' _for someone who won't even be here by nightfall."

"Fine! Then I'll be thanking every god in existence knowing that they spared me from spending another day with you!"

* * *

"I'm so glad you'll be staying here August!" Corrin cheered as she finished chewing her shrimp, holding hands with her new friend with a toothy smile upon her face.

"Yeah… I know right! Wow, I mean... _How did this happen?_\- I mean, isn't this great?!" He forced an excited tone in his voice and a plastered smile as he 'celebrated' his new home. He made an attempt to sneak out of the fortress earlier with the aid of Jakob, trying to avoid Corrin. Jakob admitting that she would get upset if she saw him off without what little time they spent together. Unfortunately, as he escaped the fort. He was caught by the Nohrian guards in the city, arresting him under the guise of 'raiding of the princesses' home' based on the large sword that stuck to his back and how he was snickering as he crawled out of the fortress. His overall description being written in their report to be sent to higher ups. In the guard's report, he was a boy who looked to be in his teenage years, 14 or 15 years old, with slightly tan colored skin. He had silk ruffled white hair, blue eyes, and silver piercings in his ear lobes. Apparently, he looked too suspicious to not be doing anything wrong with how he was dressed in dirty clothes. The guards assuming he was a random poor boy who was trying to steal from the princess.

This was also the moment he found out Corrin was a princess of the whole damn kingdom of Nohr and not just some noble girl. _So there was that… _But as he was being hauled off to somewhere, Gunther rode in on horseback with an explanation of what he was doing. However, he claimed that the boy was a new servant that Princess Corrin had taken in. For the aid in helping her with her studies, gesturing the notes which Flora and Gunther discovered in August's satchel to prove his capabilities of sharing knowledge with the princess. _Damn nosy little maid…_

So he was brought back into the Northern Fortress to serve his new liege, much to the ire of both he and Jakob. But much to the amusement of Flora, Felicia, and Gunther. And to the excitement of Corrin, practically bouncing off the walls with the revelation that her small group got another member.

It wasn't like he had disdain for the princess for him to leave without a goodbye. In fact, she was truly a kind soul, one of the kindest he ever come across judging based off this day alone. However, his research was still incomplete. He originally came to Nohr to study their magic and weapons, possibly come across new books he had not read yet, perhaps new tactical strategies, some job opportunities for him to earn a little more money to advance his studies, _he did not come here to be a prisoner_.

"We have a room already prepared for you, August." Gunther cordially said, although not showing it on his face. But he could see it as he looked upon the old man as he saw his sensed his warmth towards him. "It's the one you awoke in if you don't mind."

"Not at all, I could sleep on a rock and still get enough sleep. Though I'd still rather have the bed." August said flatly.

"Hmph, to be expected of someone like you to be able to sleep like an animal…" Jakob huffed as he was pouring tea for everyone. August trying to tune him out, having enough of his little attitude.

"I think it's quite impressive, to be honest." Flora gave a warm grin as she referred to August, invoking a smile from the boy. "Although, I honestly doubt Lady Corrin could the same."

"Hey! I could too!" Corrin stood up from her seat with a pout on her face as she defended her capabilities.

"In that case, then I'll find you the hardest rock I can get my hands on." August chuckled, joining in on this little debate with an amused grin.

"Er… never mind." She slumped back onto her seat, a blush forming on her face as her servants were chuckling at her expense.

'_Perhaps it won't be too bad, living here… But we'll see...' _August thought to himself, smiling at the friendly faces here.

* * *

As the days continued in that large fortress, the closer he got to his fellow servants and liege. Corrin was the upbeat girl she introduced herself to be, and as her teacher of sorts, it was his job to tutor her on various subjects; geography, medicine, history, and others of the sort. There was also the times they would spend together playing games of chess or reading. Her library consisted of romance novels and adventure. Obviously, it needs a little more variety... _Especially with the romance aspect of her library. _But it was always a joy to be with his new liege.

Felicia… was certainly something. By all means, she was kind and treated August with respect and the two would talk to each other frequently. But… gods was she clumsy… Each day, he would hear her destroy a set of plates and teacups or fall on her face as she stepped into a room. She even recently spilled tea onto him in an attempt to serve Corrin- er, _Lady Corrin. Her tea, not his…_ and yet he was the one to be splashed with scorching hot tea. But that didn't exactly stop August from enjoying her company. As she was still friendly and overall a good person.

Flora was also a nice person to be around, however, unlike her sister she was more soft-spoken and slightly harder to talk to with her person being less warm than her sister but still welcomed August in her company. Helping him study the ice magic which her tribe was known for and allowing him to help out in her chores in small doses, except for cooking. As he quickly proved he was inept in that regard when he attempted to help cook some potatoes for the rest of the fortress. Leaving them completely burnt and charred… _Explains why he never made an attempt to cook for himself and rather pay for his food or pay for it to be cooked by someone when he captured some game._

Gunther was fairly nice as well, he wasn't very talkative but would engage in conversations with August about the subjects of tactics and Gunther's stories of his young life as a knight for Nohr's army. And also helped him in his understanding of the land of Nohr when he wasn't training Lady Corrin. He learned that Nohr was currently in a struggle for resources due to its lack of crop growth explaining the reason as to why there were so many people who looked to be skinny and frail as August first stepped into Nohr, he learned of the four other noble children; Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise. Lady Corrin's siblings who were at Castle Krakenburg. Their separation due to the king's demand for Corrin to prove herself… _Strange how she was the only one to be under these demands whilst her siblings lived in the castle. _

Jakob… was more tolerable. When August was appointed as Corrin's new servant, the butler began to ease up on him. However, they would still get into arguments about stuff like August's inability to cook or Jakob's jerkish behavior but they would be forced to stop as soon as Corrin stepped in. Encouraging the boys to get along and _possibly_ become friends… _'Bleh'._

But overall, this new home was surprisingly… good. He had friends, people to talk to, food, a warm bed to sleep in, and a purpose. To teach what he spent six years of travel and solitude for. It felt satisfying knowing that all random studies he would partake in to pass the time would help someone. And it wasn't like he couldn't continue to research, as he was able to leave the fort as long as he had Corrin's permission and would return by sundown. However, his access to knowledge was limited due to it being restricted to only Nohrian based. But that was something he was going to have to get accustomed to fast.

* * *

"Hmm, so what's next?" He wondered out loud one day as he thought about his future in this fortress and his future with these people. But who knows what the future holds...

* * *

**So yeah, obviously I decided on starting the story way before Fates. As I thought it would be best to flesh out August as a character and his relationship with those in the Northern Fortress and possibly in the next few chapters, _Wink Wink, _the Nohrian Royals. As for August, I plan on him ****servicing as a 'Robin' sort of role to Corrin. Him being a deuteragonist of the story however unlike Robin, he won't take the story from Corrin in the end of the game and will also serve as the eyes throughout most the story. But will have his back story fleshed out in future chapters to come. But anyways, thanks for reading and I'll hopefully see you next time. **


	2. The Simpler Days: Meet The Royals

_The princess rushed outside of her bedroom door after the news that rang throughout the kingdom. Her Knight was coming back home from the war, __**he was coming back to her**__. She rushed out the door so fast and suddenly, she didn't have time to put on her boots. She ran down the central square, looking in every corner to see where her love could be. But as she rushed down the street, she saw him. _

_He was riding on top of his horse down the street, his eyes tired and face with scars that were etched onto his face. But as he saw the princess, his eyes were filled with absolute joy and his smile was completely radiating. He stepped off his horse and began limping towards her. Finally being able to hold her in his arms. He began to lift her off the ground and twirl around in a playful matter, hearing her giggles of joy was worth exerting his sore muscles. _

_As he placed her back onto the ground, he gazed into her chocolate brown eyes and her rosy red cheeks. Their faces getting closer, her lips getting closer and closer to his own-_

* * *

"Corrin, I can't keep reading this…"

"Aw! It was getting to the best part!" The princess pouted with arms crossed as she frowned at her friend.

"Wait, you read this before?" August's brows shot up when she made her complaint, realizing what she was basically saying.

"Yah, why would you ask?"

"Then why did you have me read it!?" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration.

"Because you said we could read whatever I want if I finished my history studies, right?"

"Yeah, but- argh! Forget it!" He brought a hand to his head as he huffed, giving up arguing with the princess. _Really why did he even try if she was just going do whatever she wished…_

He stood up from the floor to place the book back onto the shelf. The two were in the Northern Fortress's library, just finished from giving Corrin her history lessons and now reading whilst the other servants were getting the place ready for a visit from the other Nohrian royals. August proposed he help out and set the tables for them, however, Jakob insisted he would do no such thing and that his attention should be on tutoring Lady Corrin for the day while they prepare for the royals. But the two had already finished their lesson for today and the four still were preparing dinner for the princes and princesses. So August and Corrin decided on reading a book to pass the time, _unfortunately,_ Corrin decided on them reading one of her romance novels… _'Bleh…' _

"Hey, August…" She meekly asked him as he was placing a mark onto the page where they left off.

"Yeah, something wrong?" He inquired, his body still facing the shelves of books as he skimmed through their spines.

"No, um… what was your life like before? Before you came here..." _'Oh yeah… I didn't really confess about that as of yet. Eh, better now than ever.'_

"Uh well, I already told you how I traveled around the lands. I studied whatever I could come across and slept wherever I could. It was… hard at first, but I got used to it. And I did enjoy meeting new people and studying whatever was in that region."

"But why?"

"Hmm?" He turned attention away from the library of books at back to the princess.

"Why did you start traveling? Where did you come from?" Corrin tilted her head to side as she asked her friend with wide eyes.

"Umm… I actually don't exactly remember where I came from. My memory only dates back around five… six years ago. It's strange…"

"Oh! I think this is that one symptom… um- Ameanchia... Anen- uh…" The princess sputtered, trying to come up with the word that was nearly on the tip of her tongue, a blush forming on her cheeks as she continued with August giggling at her expense. To be honest, it kind of a cute sight to see. _'Er, perhaps not cute… That would be a weird way to describe her.' _

"I think you mean _amnesia,_ Corrin." He laughed taking a seat next to the princess, leaving Corrin pouting. "But I don't think it's _ameanchia-_" His mocking earn a quick punch to the arm, along with Corrin muttering a quick _"Stop it!"_.

"Ow!" He said, more a laugh rather than a howl of pain. "Hahaha… but anyways, I wouldn't say it's amnesia because I do have faint memories of the village where I grew up and… my mother. It's like… outlines that aren't filled in, there are just nameless people in my mind. I can't recall the name of my village, I remember that it was in the countryside but nothing else. Even the memories of my mother are difficult to recall. I can see the faint visions of how she took care of me, how she loved me. But… I can't seem to remember what she looked like, I can hear her voice but… that's not enough." He slumped in his spot, frowning at his faded memories. _This was the place he grew up in, where his family was… _How could not he remember it's name? Or his mother for that matter. For the gods sake! _She raised him! How could he just forget just like that… how?_

"O-oh…" Corrin squeaked out, feeling guilty as she saw her friend beginning to look dour because of her meddling. "I'm so sorry…"

But he quickly shifted back to a more positive state, ruffling Corrin's hair before she could get any gloomier. "Don't get so worked up about, alright? I'm okay see? So don't you go getting all depressed at my expense." His face curling into a smile as he looked into her red eyes, a smile growing on Corrin's face as she gazed into his… wow, _he had such blue eyes_.

"So pretty…" She awed as she continued to gaze at his face, causing August to stagger back in confusion.

"Er, w-what?"

"_You're eyes…_ They look just like the sky..."

"O-oh, right…" He brought a hand near his left eye, thinking back to how he first awoke with them. "Y'know, I actually didn't look like this."

"Hm? What do you mean?" Corrin's brows shot up as she heard her friend say something as odd that.

"Well, my hair used to be brown. And my eyes had a light brown color. I remember just waking up one day and when I walked into a nearby town, people started looking at me like I had two heads. I first noticed what was wrong when I saw my reflection in a mirror at the market. Actually, that was the thing that led to my habit of studying. I went to the local library to see if there was any explanation for my case, and then that led me into a rabbit hole of subjects, my brain was working a mile, a minute as I craved whatever I could get my hands on._ I couldn't stop studying_, then that led me to look for more studies in different lands. I.. suppose that's also what led me to the Northern Fortress." He laughed, finally admitting to his strange life.

But there was something stranger about his eyes that he wouldn't admit, feeling that it make him seem crazy if he just blurt it out loud to the girl. His eyes… could see more than just what's in front of him. He could see at greater distances than normal people but the strange part was that he could see people's aura. Like… colors would swirl around them when he would gaze further with his eyes and he would get these odd sensations based on the person's mood or _even their true character._ _'But… I honestly don't know how or when I was able to do this. Maybe… I should just keep this to myself. It's not like I NEED to confess about this…' _

"And… how long ago was this?" Corrin's voice brought the boy's attention back to her.

"Huh? Oh! Umm… five probably, no more than six when I first started traveling…" He mentioned casually, shrugging his shoulders.

"And how old are you now?" Corrin leaned closer to him with wide eyes.

"Fourteen, I'll be fifteen in the month of August."

"Heh, so you were named after the month you were born in?" Corrin gave a coy twitch of her lips and playfully bumped into August with her shoulder. Eliciting another shrug from August.

"Well, I'm thirteen years old. My birthday is December, I guess we aren't that far apart in age huh?" Her lips twitched upwards with the revelation of her friend's age. But her expression quickly shifted into bewilderment as she thought back to implications of when he first started exploring.

"Wait, so you started traveling when you were _nine?_"

"Wow! _You can count!_" This time, the princess delivered a hard punch to his head with great fury. "OW!"

"Jerk…" She grumbled with furrowed brows, taking offense to his little joke.

"Ah… Sorry, I was teasing about that. _You are actually quite smart judging based on how well you did in our lesson." _He admitted, rubbing the bruise on his head. "But yes, I did start my travels when I was nine years old."

"Hm… I see." Hearing this, Corrin couldn't help but feel jealous of August. For seven years, she was stuck in this fortress of orders from her father. While he was off seeing new land wherever he went! But… he wasn't that better off than her. He had to fend from himself since he was a child and make money on his own to get by with nobody at his side while she was here being raised and cared for by her servants. And when they first met, she remembered how dirty he looked to be and the fact that had to sleep onto the ground for the night. _What kind of friend feels jealous for someone who had to go through so many struggles…_

"-Lady Corrin." Jakob voice brought her back to reality, causing her to flinch back in surprise. "Are you alright, milady?"

"Y-yeah, I was just lost in thought." She chuckled at how she was so focused on her own thoughts to not notice Jakob entering the room with August reading a large red book with the title in a large black heading labeled 'GENESIS' in the background.

"Well, your siblings have arrived. They are waiting-"

"Oh! Right! Thank you, Jakob!" She bowed her head before skipping off to meet with her siblings, it's been months since she's had a visit from her family. And with King Garon's permission, the four royals planned to join her sister for a few days.

"So are you coming?" Jakob's stern voice brought the attention of August as he referred to him, one of his brows raised in confusion. "Lady Corrin's siblings are joining us, and it would be rude to not introduce yourself…"

"I see, alright then. Let's go." He was… honestly surprised that Jakob would encourage him to meet with nobility. Expecting him to make sure that the royals would never even see his face. Maybe… he was starting to respect him a little more.

As the two were walking down the hall to meet with the four guests, Jakob suddenly began to speak. "And don't embarrass Lady Corrin with your little 'country mannerisms' lest I deal with you myself…" _'Aaaand, maybe not.'_

* * *

As the two servants walked down the steps, August heard voices from below.

"How's my precious baby sister? Oh… _I've missed you so much_." A feminine voice cooed, her voice filled with maturity and warmth.

"I've missed you too, big sister!" Another voice cheered, belonging to a little girl with a voice so energetic and happy.

"We're all glad to see you, Little Princess." A voice belonging to a young man, powerful yet calm, had greeted. "I've heard you obtain a new servant, may we met him?"

The two stepped from the banister as the conversation ended, allowing August to finally see the Royals in the flesh. The eldest of them, he assumed to be Xander. He was dressed in a white buttoned dress shirt with a black vest and black trousers with clean light brown boots. He had curly golden blonde hair, brown eyes, and had a crown which looked to be the shape of ivy that circled around his head. _And he was tall! _...ok, maybe he wasn't the best judge of height as he was only a bit taller than Corrin. But still!

The young woman next to him was definitely Princess Camilla as Elise was said to be the youngest, she had a white long-sleeved dress shirt and a black skirt that reached her feet and a crown similar to Xander's that rested on her wavy lavender hair and above her dark pink eyes. She was quite beautiful, to be honest. Causing August to slightly blush when she smiled at him.

The boy next to Camilla was Leo if he remembered correctly, he was also dressed in a white long sleeved dress shirt and tan trousers that went past his knees but stopped before it could reach his ankles. He had brown eyes and ruffled blonde hair like Xander, only not as golden, with a black hairband that pushed his hair back much like Corrin. He looked to be younger than his platinum haired sister, possibly twelve or eleven.

The girl holding Xander's hand had to be Elise, as she was the youngest girl. She was dressed in a frilly pink dress with black boots. She had large blonde pigtails that reached her shoulders and dark pink eyes she shared with her eldest sister. When August and Jakob walked into the room, she was practically beaming at them.

But… these four looked nothing like their sister, perhaps she was a stranger case then? He had attempted to gaze further with his eyes to see any relation to each other but found nothing…

"Oh! Speak of the devil!" Corrin yipped, gesturing to her tutor with a bright smile as she faced her siblings. "This is August! My new tutor!"

"Hello there…" August ambled over to the four, shaking their hand starting with Elise who jiggled his hand around as she still beamed at him.

"Hi there! My name is Elise!"

"I know, I've heard of your names from Gunther." He replied to the youngest princess whilst shaking the hands of Leo and Camilla. And then proceeding to move onto greeting the crown prince with a small grin.

"Tell me August… How did you come into the services of our sister?" Xander asked, mirroring August's grin.

"Well… It all started with a headbutt."

"What?"

"Erm… We'll explain it at the table, okay?" Corrin jumped into the conversation, elbowing August for bringing up _that part of their meeting _as her siblings walked to the table_._ But he simply gave a snort as a response to the Princess. _"Did you really have to say that?" _She hissed, making sure her voice couldn't be heard by her siblings.

"_Hey, I'm just telling it straight."_

* * *

"So you two met all because August was snoozing near the fortress?" Elise asked for confirmation, slight amusement in her voice. The other four royals sharing similar sentiments.

"Well, yes…" Said snoozer shrugged in the background as the royals ate the food prepared by Jakob, Flora, and Felicia. "Although me becoming a servant was all in part thanks to Gunther…" He looked over to the old man sitting in a chair, quickly flashing a grin towards the boy before returning to his stern expression.

"And pray tell, what of Corrin's studies?" Camilla rang, petting the top of Corrin's head as she inquired August of her sister's lessons. "How has my little sister faired in those lessons of yours?"

He scratched his left cheek with a small grin before answering, "Well, Corrin has shown how bright she truly is as shown in the results of her lessons. In fact, we finished our history lesson early today! She excelled with flying colors!" He looked over to Corrin, who was currently red-faced and averting his gaze with all the appraisal. Bringing a smile on his face seeing her siblings began to praise her as well.

"Wow! You must really smart too, August!" Elise yipped, clapping for her big sister's tutor with a bright smile on her face. "Maybe you're even smarter than Leo!"

"Hmph, you're one to speak on the subject of intelligence Elise…" Leo shot back, obviously offended for his brain power being put into question. But this comment gained a large frown from the youngest princess as she looked over to face Leo in his _stupid face_.

"_Are you calling me dumb, Leo?!"_ She raised her voice, leaning forward with a pout as she faced her brother across the table. Elise jabbed a finger at Leo, pointing to his shirt. "That's funny of you to say, you're the one with your shirt inside out!"

"WHAT!" The prince looked down at his chest, seeing that his shirt was indeed inside out. Frantically, he moved away from the table and into another room to fix his attire. Leaving everyone laughing at his expense as he walked back to the table with his shirt finally fixed and proper. "Ughh! Why doesn't anyone tell me when these things happen!"

"Hahaha… So, August. Would you mind telling us some stories of your travels?" Xander cocked his head slightly to the side as he asked August for some tales to pass the time and get to know his sister's new servant.

"Not at all milord, though…" He rubbed the back of his neck with furrowed brows as he sheepishly smiled. "It's hard to think of one that's interesting at the top of my head. Ah! Right, there was this one time about my stay in Hoshido-"

"H-Hoshido?" Camilla's stuttering interrupted his tale, leaving August with a raised brow in confusion. He looked over to Xander for an answer to his sister's current state, only seeing the prince with furrowed brows and large frown as he cast his eyes onto his stew.

"Yes… Is there something wrong milady? Did I… Did I do something wrong?" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little awkward for making the two eldest royals noticeably uncomfortable.

"No… no, it's just- Nohr has had a bit of tension with Hoshido... For reasons, I would rather not talk about." The crown prince sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. As August saw the prince's condition, he noticed that Xander would take a few glances at Corrin with eyes which he could see oddly held some sense of guilt, said princess currently shifting in her seat seeing her older siblings look so dour.

"I see, please forgive me…" He bowed his head at both Xander and Camilla, trying to keep a stern face. "I didn't know about that, my intentions were not to make you uncomfortable. Perhaps I'm still a little ignorant when it comes to the politics of Nohr, I'll be sure to amend that soon, milord…"

'_Damn, how did I already screw up?' _He mentally chastised himself for being the one to solely make this dinner awkward for the five royals.

"No, the fault is not yours. Nor is it anyone else's. Let's just… finish our meals." Xander plastered a smile on his face as he referred to his siblings to continue, receiving four nods in response.

But with this awkward silence, Elise believed it was her duty to remedy this. "So August, you travel right? What places did you visit, what did you see?" She gave a Cheshire smile as she asked the boy, practically asking the same question as Xander. But he took this opportunity as a way to perhaps do this right, mentally thanking Elise.

"Well… I visited places like Izumo, Mokushu, Cheve, Nestra. Oh! I just remembered one funny story about my visit to Nestra. I was in Cyrkensia, while I was looking into the tactical strategies studies they had, I overheard that the Opera House was having a set of performances at the time. Since I planned on only staying there for a week, I decided on sneaking in to see a few performances. Unfortunately, during the second dance performance… Their security caught on to me, throwing me out on the streets. _But unfortunately for them_, I forcibly borrowed some gold coins that were on their person. Needless to say, I had a good dinner that night…" August finished leaving the royals chuckling at his story, except Xander as he gave a stern look towards August. Not angry or anything but wasn't exactly pleased knowing his sister's tutor was a small time thief.

"So, if you traveled for so long. Where did you originally live?" Corrin flinched hearing Leo's question, expecting August to become glum with the lack of his memories like before. But she didn't expect him to shrug in response.

"Unfortunately, my memories are all muddled. I can't necessarily recall the name of my village or why I left at such a young age." He stepped closer to the table, putting a hand on Corrin's shoulder with a twitch of lips. "Actually earlier today, Corrin proposed that I had amnesia. But she had some struggle in pronouncing it. Hahaha… She was like this, '_Is it am-amentia? a-achemia? Anen-' _GAAAARRGGHH!"

Corrin lifted her chair up to shift it to the side, letting the front right leg slam hard onto August's foot in retribution for his mocking of her in front of her siblings. Leaving everyone in the fortress laughing as he bounced on one leg while rubbing his bruised foot, losing his balance, and then falling flat on his butt.

As he cringed from the pain on his rear end and his crushed foot, he scowled at Corrin for making him the butt of the joke. Receiving a smirk from the princess as she took a spoonful of her vegetable chowder, enjoying her savory meal and sweet revenge simultaneously. _'Is it just me, or does our relationship heavily revolve around me in pain?…'_

* * *

"Well done Little Princess, that's enough for tonight." Xander applauded Corrin, placing his wooden sword onto the ground as he wiped away some sweat off of his brow. The two began sparring with Corrin's insistence, bouncing off the walls about how well she's gotten better at her swordsmanship. The two finishing up their duel on top of one of the fortress's many towers, while everyone else watched from a distance. Small bruises on both of their faces and arms after being struck with their swords.

"_Huff... Huff…_" Corrin attempted to catch her breath, standing with her hands on her knees as she looked over to her audience. Gazing over to August as he stood with his arms crossed, still looking to upset with her after having his foot crushed judging based on his expression. But as she looked at the boy, she thought back to when they first met. With him having an abnormal sword strapped to his back. _'I've never actually seen him use that or even swing a sword for that matter…' _

With this little thought in the back of her head, she strolled over to August with a wide smile. "Heeey August, you have your very own sword riiight?"

"..." He kept silent, a frown still on his face and refused from looking the princess in the eye.

"...Okay, I'm sorry for crushing your foot like that. That was _almost _entirely uncalled for and I shouldn't have done that. But can you please spar with me? I'm curious as to your abilities and I _really _want to see what you can do, _pretty please?_" She faced with her tutor, puppy dogs eyes and all with a clasp of her hands as she begged. Her siblings finding some amusement in how she was pleading.

"...Alright, Could you pass me your sword milord?" He sighed, walking over to Xander to grab the wooden sword so the two could start their duel. The two mirroring their different stances. Corrin keeping a straight stance with her left arm bent and parallel to her chest while her right arm held her sword at her side. August kept his knees bent with his left leg forward and his right leg back, leaning forward as he held his sword in a forty-five-degree angle with of both his hands firmly gripping onto its hilt.

"Ready, August?" The princess asked, excitement evident in her voice.

"Sure am…" On this cue, the two rushed for each other. Corrin getting in the first few swipes, laying them down over her head. Each swipe being parried by her opponent's sword.

He pushed her back with the flat side of his blade, proceeding to paddle the top of her head. The plan was to daze her then after finishing his bombardment on her skull, he would sweep her legs. Winning the fight _quick and easy._

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! _Ow!_" She yelped, kicking him in the chest to get him to stop.

"Urgh!- UUWWWAAARRRGGGH!" Unfortunately, she knocked him far enough to push him off the top of the tower they were on. She and everyone else quickly rushed over to the side of the tower in a desperate attempt to stop him from falling. But was unable to do so, seeing the boy fall of the fortress.

"AUGUST!" As Corrin cried her friend's name after seeing him disappear, he then… _proceeded to shoot upwards. _Blue bursts of wind underneath him propelling back onto the tower with an audible thud as he hit the surface with his body, leaving him completely panic-stricken and exasperated as the five royals looked upon him in awe.

"August… You just used…" Corrin started completely speechless after seeing her friend just… do that!

"Used magic!" Elise cheered, finishing her sister's sentence with arms wide open and showing one of her beaming smiles. "And without one of those magic books!"

"They're called tomes, Elise. But, _it_ _is quite odd that you were able to just fly like that without a wind tome…_" Leo leaned towards August, his face contorting with bitterness seeing a new rival in terms of magic. After all, magic was _his expertise. _And yet here we have his sister's servant boy use magic without a single tome on him.

"Uhh… Can we please, just talk about this in the morning milord? I'm tired of this day and would rather sleep the pain away…" August hobbled over to the stairs to go and crash on his bed with the royals gazing over him with puzzlement. He passed by Corrin, seeing a sheepish smile and shy eyes with slight guilt after she pushed him off the tower, nearly killing the boy. But he decided on not showing any emotion after all the shit he's been through today, he was too tired to even get angry.

'_I swear she's gonna be the death of me one day...'_

* * *

**Yeah… ok, this was the part where I said August was gonna get a **_**little **_**OP. But you'll see in the next chapter that I put some restrictions on him, which I've already started on writing so it should come out soon. I've also written a basic outline for adapting the story, and let me tell you… **_**Was it hard to find a place for two specific arcs.**_** And on that note, please send your reviews and comments because I'm an attention whore and I'll hopefully see you later. **


	3. The Simpler Days: The Kingdom Of Dark

_Amongst the sun and the rain, he traveled distant lands day and night. Endlessly searching for what was lost to him, and were he ever to find it… He may finally live amongst the people. As his body lingered. Exist, he could not. For without his soul, he could never truly live as a man-_

* * *

"Um… August?" He heard a soft voice call for him from the library's door. Turning his head from his book, he saw Felicia, who looked to have just rolled out of bed as she was still in her nightgown with her hair still tangled. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Oh! Felicia!" He closed his book, labeled under the title 'GENESIS', and placed it onto a table beside him before strolling over to the pink haired girl. "I was just reading, I personally don't need much sleep so I wake up quite early in the morning… Call it a blessin' or a curse, but anyways. Why might you be up so early?"

"Me? Um…" She shifted around, looking to be flustered as she began to ponder about what to say next. "I was just… practicing…" Her eyes shifted to the side of the room, trying to avoid eye contact with him.

"Uh, practicing _what?_ Oh… I see." He noticed the faint smell of wheat and berries from her and small stains of batter on her dress. "_You were cooking, weren't you?"_ He asked, getting a slow bob of her head as a response.

"I tried to make some pancakes for Milords and Miladies, but… I ended up burning them and the batter ending up getting everywhere on the kitchen counter. In all honesty, I found that the candles were lit in here and I hoped I could get some help to clean up." She admitted, her hands gripping onto her dress in frustration. "H-oh… Why am I so useless?!"

August placed two hands on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Relax Felicia, you're _not _useless… I'm speaking from the heart when I say that."

"You say that… but that doesn't make it any less true. I can't do anything for Lady Corrin… I can't cook, clean, do laundry, or serve tea…"

"Hm… I… Uh, can't necessarily deny that, but to be fair. I can't do those either, Hahaha" He admitted, giving a chuckle to help ease the mood, I mean he _could make tea_ since he was a fan of hot beverages like coffee and tea. But he probably shouldn't say that at this moment particularly… "But you're wrong about not being able to do anything for Corrin…"

"And what is that?" She began to lighten up as she heard this, eyes widening with some hope.

"Well, while I observed your training with Jakob a few days ago. I saw how you completely stomped him! Like, wow! You were an absolute natural there!" Boy, did he get a chuckle out of that scene. Jakob was throwing a damn tantrum after losing so badly! '_Ahhh, man… me and Flora were having a field day with him for the next few days…'_

"But anyways," He continued, flashing a quick grin with a wink. "When it comes to fighting, you're a complete genius... "

"But… I don't see how this would translate to me being useful to Lady Corrin…"

"Well, let's say Corrin is in danger. Like, possible bandits attacking or perhaps enemies of Nohr attacking. Who would be the most capable of defending her? You, Felicia… You may not be the most graceful of maids, but you have shown that your talents lie elsewhere. And hell, talents grow with practice! If you truly do wish to be the best maid you can be, keep working for it. With each dish that ya break, that just means you're still growing. And no matter what, I'll be rooting for you to find where your true calling is."

"I see… Thank you, August…" She gave the boy a hug, breaking away only after a few seconds. "Ah! I nearly forgot, I still need to clean that counter! ... um, would you please help me?"

"Heh… Of course…"

* * *

After the two finished cleaning the kitchen counter, Jakob was next to awaken early. Ready to make breakfast for Corrin and her siblings, August offered to him Felicia's batter, however he went to create his own. Insisting that the batter was not good enough to make great tasting pancakes for the royals. But as he was cooking the batter, he looked over to August who was currently tearing into some beat meat.

"So I heard something odd happened on the rooftops from Lady Corrin… Would you mind as to how this occurred, _August..._" Jakob referred back to last night with a stern face as looked over to the white-haired boy. _Boy oh boy… _was it going to be a difficult time explaining _that…_

"Mmph…. Once everyone wakes up, I'll spill… It'll be easier and I don't have to repeat myself, ok?" He shrugged, hoping in that in that time frame he might be able to gather his thoughts in time in order to figure where he would start. With this response, Jakob simply huffed in agreement before focusing his attention back to the stove.

'_Damn, I just realized that I don't actually have the full story as to why I didn't need a tome… Hmm, I think I should be fine with just saying what I know and maybe that should get them to back off of me... ' _He mused, hoping to be done with this eventual investigation on him by the royals. Especially Prince Leo, the kid was practically staring daggers into him when he saw him just shoot up into the air. Apparently, Leo was a prodigy in magic and judging based off his stare towards him last night, he was definitely envious of him, though… _He probably shouldn't be_.

'_I'm ok with magic, It's not like I'm some sort of mastermind when it comes to magic just because I didn't need some damn tome… Hmm, maybe I should say that in my little confession story. That way, I can get off the kid's bad side. Though, I probably shouldn't phrase it like that…'_

"-August, could you pass the honey?" Xander's voice called from the small table in the kitchen, bringing the boy's attention back to reality. He looked over, seeing him, Camilla, and Leo being served their breakfast by Jakob, Felicia, and Flora. _Huh… when did she wake up, _when did ALL OF THEM wake up_? _Was he really that focus on his thoughts to not see four people just walk in?- '_Wait, focus… Stop thinking and get the honey, you dipwit…'_

He reached over to the honey inside one of the cabinets, getting a bit of it onto his fingers. And placed it onto the center of the table for royals, the four young servants getting smiles as thanks from the eldest two for the food. Leo still looking to be suspicious of August after last night as he sipped from his cup of… tomato juice? Odd choice, especially so early in the morning. '_Huh… Weird kid.'_

"So… _August?_" The youngest prince placed his cup onto the table top, glaring at the white-haired boy. "Would you care to explain how exactly you were able to perform wind magic without a tome now? I've been quite curious as to how exactly you were able to do so, as someone one who practices magic myself. _You've had my curiosity piqued…_" He spat, still trying to remain formal with him.

"As I've explained to Jakob, I'll explain _how that happened_ when everyone is here. Not to boast by any means Milord, but I'm sure I've left you all shock-"

"Ooh! Pancakes!" Elise trotted over into the kitchen, being ignorant to August glaring at her for interrupting him. She grabbed a plate from Flora, gave a small bow of thanks, and started to dig into the stack in front of her after taking a seat next to Camilla. "Mmmm! Wha were guys yew tawking about-"

"Elise, don't talk with your mouth full dear," Camilla instructed with a soft voice, causing the girl to bob her head in response and swallow the bits of chewed wheat as her eyes gleamed when she looked over to August.

"So are you going to tell us how you flew!? That was so cool! Can you teach me to fly like that, but without falling flat on your back?!" The series of questions Elise asked caused August to sheepishly scratch his cheek.

"Er… As I was saying before, I'd love to clarify that. But, we're going to wait for Corrin to arise from her sleep. I'm not really feeling like having to explain the same thing multiple times." Truth be told, he was never a fan of talking in front of groups of people. Especially when not engaging in a normal conversation like this, completely unprepared with no exact plan to jump into this. Thankfully, Corrin was a heavy sleeper when staying late up at night like that one time she was completing an assignment from August past dark, passing out on the papers and not waking up until near noon. So that should buy him enough time to think and-

"Oh! In that case," Leo turned to the two maids, causing August to flinch. "Flora, Felicia… Would you please wake up Big Sister for us…"

Seeing the two maids amble to Corrin's room, He quickly began to think about what to say to his little audience. '_Ok, where do I start? Uh… Gah! I can't remember what I was going to say! Honestly, how the hell could I forget! I just thought of it a few minutes ago! Something about… me not being as skilled, er- something! Ok, I don't need to worry... Just say whatever… No! They're royalty and I can't just say 'I'm not too sure myself how exactly I flew twenty feet into the gods damn air!' that just makes me a hell of a lot more suspicious'-_

"_AAAUUUGGHH! COLD! COLD!" _Corrin's shriek was heard through the fortress walls. Causing August to jitter with, the sooner than originally anticipated, thorough explanation of his little stunt being forced to be presented as soon as the girl stepped into the kitchen.

'_Ok,startbysayingthatyourandomlystartedusingmagicwithoutatomeoneday. No, thatstilldoesn'twork. Maybe, saythatIhaveamensiathatmightgetthemtobackoff. No! Thatstilldoesn'tworkbecauseIalreadytoldthemthat. Ok... Just calm down because this isn't a big deal, this isn't a big deal, this isn't a big deal at all!-'_

"Hey… Good morning-"

"GODS DAMN IT!" August cut off the girl, having all eyes on him with his sudden outburst.

"Er…" He grabbed a plate of pancakes that Jakob prepared specifically for her, holding before Corrin with an awkward twitch of his lips. "_Pancakes?"_

* * *

"Alright, Soooo… Where do I begin?" August scratched his chin, leaning his back against the wall as everyone looked at him, waiting for him to clarify his magical abilities. "Hmm… right, why I didn't need a tome. Well, It's not really like didn't need one. It's more like… I can't use one."

"What exactly do you mean, 'you can't use a tome'?" Leo pressed, eyes slightly widening as heard that. Tomes are an essential part of casting magic. Sure, there were people who had no need for them to cast effective magic such as the Ice Tribe, however, that took complete knowledge of its exact magical properties of every single detail of that element and tomes would guide the users quite easily. Hell, it was so easy, Leo started casting fireballs from tomes effortlessly when he was only eight! And yet, his sister's servant had claimed he couldn't use these simple tomes, but still cast a strong enough wind spell to save himself!

"Well, my mind works like this…" August began, making gestures with his hands as he explained himself. "I can't use tomes to cast magic, for some odd reason. Spells don't react each time I use one and I can't draw power from the spellbook. However, I do so by memorizing the contents of the book beforehand. It's like… visuals of what the book held flash before my mind. If I think about what spells to use hard enough," He held out his hand, igniting it in a bright blue flame. His irises glowing with a bright blue light. "I can cast the spell."

"Interesting… You must be a powerful mage then…" Xander praised, a smile forming on his face. However, August simply shook his head at this.

"No, actually. Since I don't draw power from tomes, I have no choice but to draw it from my own. This effectively reduces my capabilities of having stronger magic power. I'm afraid that I'm a case of 'quantity over quality'." While the boy had memorized several spells throughout his travels, they weren't as strong as they _could be_. As evident when he would compare his abilities to other mages he would come across on his travels. His flames were never as large in its burst, his lighting was never as intense in its strike, his winds were never as strong in its gust. Also, strangely enough, his spells were always in a blue hue no matter the element he cast.

'_And hey, that wasn't really that hard… Explaining that, I mean… THEN WHY THE HELL DID I GET SO BENT OUTTA SHAPE, FRETTIN' OVER IT!' _August mentally slapped his forehead. He really needed to just, stop getting so worked up over these things, lest he turn into a panicky mess all the time.

"Oh… well then." Leo smirked as he stood up from his seat, possibly due to the revelation that the white-haired boy in front of him was not as skilled as he seemed to be. _Keeping his little number one spot in terms of magic_. "Perhaps you might show us this, I mean we do need to get a read on your capabilities… And perhaps you and I could compare our skills, _see who's the better mage?_"

"_Leo…" _Xander grumbled, causing his brother to sheepishly dart his eyes away from his gaze. Knowing full well that his little brother's intention was to show off a bit.

"I actually like that idea of yours, Lord Leo. It's been quite a while since I've tracked my progress in magic and I would like to have someone to practice tomefaire with. Er- I suppose in my case, it wouldn't exactly be tomefaire. But nevertheless, I would like for this take place." August admitted, thinking this would be a good chance to compare his abnormal magic to that of someone with a tome.

He studied magic quite often amongst his lessons with Corrin, even adding ice magic to his set of skills thanks to the help of Flora. But he hadn't necessarily put it into much practice.

"Alright then, let us begin our little game of sorts."

* * *

"Hmm... Seems I did the most damage then. _Meaning, that I win._" The young prince closed his tome with a smirk, satisfied at the results as he observed the measurements of the two scorch marks onto both targets. The two mages had shot the largest fireball that they could possibly muster at their targets, afterward, they measured the diameters of the scorches they made to see who was the most capable of magic. But as shown, Leo came up on top.

"So you did Milord… _So you did._" August honestly didn't really mind being outdone by the prince, he already knew that his magical skills weren't too impressive and that Leo was fairly gifted in magic at his age. However, he did find it _slightly irritating _that the kid felt the need to one-up him.

But gazing into the kid's aura, he saw some harboring of insecurities. Looking to be quite old as they rested within him, envy and feelings of inferiority although he couldn't exactly pinpoint its origin. '_Damn… Kid's got quite the problems, and kids shouldn't be feeling that way... I'll just… let him have this.'_

"Well done brother, you as well August. That was some exceptional magic from both of you." Xander applauded the two, walking over with a small grin on his face. The three girls clapping more intensely at the show of their magic.

"Hey, August! How about you show that weird sword of yours now?" Corrin gestured to the blade that was leaning against the wall in the background alongside the other weaponry in the fortress. "C'mon! I want to see what you can do!"

Hearing his liege/friend's persistence, he ambled over to the unique blade and held it in his hands. The weapon was hand made by him, taking a year and a half to fashion it after several failed blades that didn't meet his specific needs. Although, he wasn't too sure how exactly how he garnered the beginning skills to fashion a sword in the first place. Most likely a talent he learned before his memory faded, he presumed. _But that didn't matter now, did it..._

The sword was curved at its sides and was colored black with silver trims on the edges of the blade. Its hilt wrapped in a series of dark blue leather straps to comfort his hands when he held it. Its handguard was bolted together with metal screws, something he found difficult with getting his hands on as there were only ones of wood, however they proved to be too weak in his previous blades. So he had to go through a series of trials to form them and then an even _greater trial_ to hammer it into the handguard to fasten it together. The metal he used for the blade was a struggle in itself to get his hands on, especially one _certain metal used to forge it_…

Gods, his funds were left so barren after buying them. He ended up living off of scraps and bread for a couple of weeks...

Holding it in his hands, he showed off his unique weapon to the princess with a small smile on his face. The weapon also impressing Corrin's siblings as he twirled it around. '_Well, I suppose it was worth going through all that stress for this…. Though, why was I so adamant on making it in the first place?'_ He pondered, thinking back to how he's always had a burning desire to form a weapon like this.

Stopping at nothing until he had this in his hands, it was… strangely nostalgic actually- holding this blade… Almost feeling a sense of pride.

* * *

_This right here, is a symbol of my pride, my dreams, and my honor… Cheesy, I know..._

* * *

"-here did you obtain this sword, August?" Xander's voice brought his attention back to reality, looking at the boy with a small hint of curiosity on his face.

"Well… I actually made this myself…" He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh? That's quite impressive, creating a sword like this." Xander commended alongside his sisters, leaving August looking sheepish with all this sudden appraisal.

"You wouldn't believe how long it ended up taking to craft this thing and gathering the materials for it… Gods was it an uphill struggle. But the results speak for itself…" He twirled the sword's hilt between his fingers, spinning the sword 360 degrees before placing it onto his back. Giving the royals another surprise, except Corrin as she remembered August doing the same thing when they first met.

"You… don't need a sheath?" Leo's eyes shot up seeing the sword's blade stick to his backside so easily.

"Oh, yeah…" He strapped the sword off of him and placed it onto the ground. Brushing his cloak off, he pointed to the inside of the cloth. Showing off a piece of steel stitched to the cloak that had a glowing blue rune carved onto it.

"This right here is what holds my sword to my back. It attracts the same metal that I used to make the blade when an enchantment was placed on it. Although… can't seem to remember where I got it from… Hmmm…"

Shrugging off that thought, he draped the cloak back onto his shoulders. Holding his unique sword in his hands once more.

"Oh yeah… There's this thing," He offhandedly said as he began to ignite the blade in a brilliant blue fire, causing some raised eyebrows in the room.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Elise cheered, raising her hands up as August lazily waved the sword around. "Xander, it's kinda like your sword right?"

"Hmm... Somewhat, yes." Xander thought back to the sword his father had given him when he was 16 years old. Glowing in a dark purple flame whilst August's blade was glowing in a dark blue. However, Xander's weapon was wreathed in flame due to the weapon's own power while the boy clarified that the blade only catches fire because it draws from his magical power.

"I used the same metal that Levin swords are made of in order to have magic extend onto the sword, but _that was probably the reason I ended up poor._"

"You seem to strive for greatness, with all the work you've put into crafting a fine sword like this." Xander placed a hand onto August's shoulder. But once again, he shook off this little bit of praise.

"_Or maybe, I was just bored at the time and I felt like making a sword like this… Either one really..." _He unconsciously said, flinching at how disrespectful he sounded like as soon as the words left his mouth. "Er... W-what I meant to say was… thank you, Milord."

"Hmm, well then… You're welcome." Xander unpursed his lips, giving a soft smile after the boy had accepted his praise.

* * *

After the five days had passed, the four royals were getting ready to travel back to Castle Krakenburg. Saying their goodbyes and readying their things. And currently, Camilla was embracing Corrin before mounting onto the horse she traveled on, with Elise joining in on the sisterly hug.

"Goodbye, my sweet sister. We'll come back soon, alright?" The eldest princess promised with a soothing voice as she held her sister's head close to her chest. With Elise hugging Corrin by the waist as she was sandwiched between her big sisters.

"I'll miss you too, guys…" Although she held a smile on her face, Corrin's eyes showed the slightest sign of somber as she said her goodbyes. While her siblings were going back to the castle, she was _still stuck here in this fortress!_ It just wasn't fair! '_I wish I could just leave this dumb fortress… Even if it was just for a day.'_

"Corrin? Corrin, _hellooo..._" August's voice had garnered the attention of the princess. The girl flinching in surprise seeing how lost in thought she was. She faced her friend, seeing him with a large leather sack heaved over his right shoulder. Unlike her, he was off to join her siblings to meet with her father for the purpose of an assessment of his capabilities in serving her and Nohr. '_Why can't I see father too… Why I can't go…'_

"Corrin… You ok?"

"Er, yeah! Um, I'm so happy that you'll be able to meet with my father!" She put on a forced smile as she laughed, receiving a slight frown from August as he looked at her.

"Hmm… I'm sure you'll be able to leave this place soon, Corrin. Just keep working for it and it'll happen, ok?" He… was able to read her thoughts? The two have known each other for a month and a half, and yet he was able to read her like an open book. His frown grew to a small grin as he clasped onto her shoulder, the princess mirroring his smile as she felt comfort in someone who understood her dilemma.

"You should go now, August…" The princess laughed, pointing to her siblings who were waiting on horseback in the distance.

Giggling once more as she saw the boy scramble over to the royals, she gave a wave goodbye which he returned with a small wave of his hand before rushing over to her siblings.

"Goodbye! And see you in a few days, August!"

* * *

"And here we are…" August breathed out, admiring the sea of buildings that were spread throughout the pit below. He and the four royals were walking upon one of the bridges connected to the large tower in the center of the pit known as Krakenburg. His body began to tense as he looked down even though the bridge was quite wide and the chances he could fall off were next to none.

But the whole castle (Although not looking like an actual castle considering it was basically a large pit in the ground) had made him tense with its structure and mood. It was like the air here was piercing his lungs like needles or the buildings could break down at any second, this place felt like a furnace that was slowly cooking him alive. He had stepped into this place only a few minutes ago and yet he was already wishing to leave. '_Man… This place is honestly making me miss the fortress already.'_

"Alright, it's time to meet with our father…" The five stopped at the doors that led to the throne of King Garon, Xander looking towards August as he stood in front of them. He didn't really know what kind of person Garon truly was…

He would listen to stories that would describe who this man was but they would always sing opposing tales. There were people who claimed that Garon was a demon that would destroy anything that he saw as weak or in his way. Others insisted Garon was a strong king that held his people above all and would give his life for them. But… behind that door, lied the truth.

"Okay Milord, let's meet with your father…" He repeated, letting Xander signal the guards to open the doors for them.

* * *

"So you've returned my children…" Behind the creaking doors, a voice bellowed in a tone he could pinpoint. As the guards widened the doors, August finally gazed open the King of Nohr. Quivering in his boots as he looked upon the man.

He was a large burly man resting upon his throne with shiftless movement as he looked upon the boy. He had gray skin that seemed to be plastered on his body, long white hair that had draped onto his shoulders and a large beard of the same color. Resting on his head was a crown made of the similar thin black metal curves of Xander's and Camilla's only shaped to be sharper and more like an actual crown. He wore dark black armor with gold decor outlined onto it with a fur robe that laid upon his shoulders.

While his whole look was unnatural, that wasn't the reason why August was quivering. It was the fact that unlike every single person he's come across, he could not read what this man's aura was. Gazing upon the king of Nohr, he saw a swirl of gray that held nothing and stung his eyes the further he looked at it. '_What… What is this man?!'_

"This is the boy which Corrin has taken in as her tutor… Is that correct?" Garon questioned his oldest child with his face stern, which Xander reaffirmed with a bow of his head.

"That's correct father… August here has shown to be quite an intelligent individual for his age." Xander's praise would have normally caused the boy to speak up and say something. However, the king's presence left the boy speechless.

"Is that so? Well, I would like to see some of this _genius' work_." Another man stepped into the exchange, his grizzled voice dripping with mockery as he laughed at the claim of August's intelligence. As he stepped near the throne of Garon, August was able to get a good look at him. He was a tall, lanky man with white skin and raven hair that looked almost greasy. He had clothing similar to that of a sorcerer although was less revealing and in a black and red color scheme. Most notable of all was a golden half mask that laid onto his face with a horn protruding from his forehead.

"Well, _I said that I'd like to see some of the boy's work!_" The man's call brought said boy's attention, irritation clear in his voice as he stretched out an open hand towards him. Seeing this, August quickly pulled out one of his journals, that being his strategy journal, and handed to the man with a bow of his head before pulling away.

"Thank you…" The man said, although insincerely as his face was plastered with smarm as he held the book in his hands. He opened the book with a large shit-eating grin, most likely expecting the journal to be filled with incoherent scribbles. But as he flipped through the pages, his grin slowly turned into a scowl before closing the journal halfway through. Leaving August satisfied seeing that he was able to 'impress' someone with his journal alone.

"Impressive… _For a child_." The man hissed, handing the book back to August with his scowl still on his face before leaving the room with a small bow towards Garon. August mentally patting himself on the back before shivering in his place as soon as Garon looked towards him.

"Hmm, so you are quite the intelligent one…" Garon's lips curved upwards, causing August to squirm even further but made every attempt to not show it. "Hopefully that intelligence of your's rubs off onto my daughter…"

"Er, y-yes Milord! I-I mean Corrin has been doing well in her lessons. So I mean I can't- I, err. I mean-"

"_Rest…_ You look tired, child." Garon stood from his throne, his height making August feel more like an ant. The king slowly stepped away from the five children in front of him. One of the guards opening the door for him. And before leaving, he spoke with his back faced towards them. "Xander, lead the boy towards the guest quarters…"

Seeing the king walk out of the room, August began to catch his breath. Leaning forward with heavy breaths and a hand over his chest. '_That man… He didn't seem like some noble king. But he didn't seem like an evil demon… But just being in the same room as him, I can barely breathe…'_

"You okay, August?" Elise asked with eyes tight and worried as she saw him, leaned over with sharp breaths.

"Well, I think I know what you're feeling right now…" Leo's face curling into a frown and his eyes tight much like his little sister.

"Mhm, it's quite alright. Just try to catch your breath…" Camilla slowly spoke, keeping her voice soft and comforting.

"I… Who is that man?" August voiced aloud, causing the royals to fidget in their positions.

"...Come August, allow me to show you where your quarters are…" Xander avoided his question. Instead, he led the path to where August would be staying.

* * *

After his meeting with Garon, August made every attempt to avoid the king. Although that wasn't necessarily hard as the man would constantly meet with Iago or with noblemen to discuss Nohr's future and other matters.

And with his time here, August was able to see exactly why these meetings took place. He saw more of Nohr's struggle in crop growth with its tough soil and the little sunlight that the kingdom saw. Nohr may have been rich in minerals and gems, but that didn't make up for what little food that the kingdom had…

It's a shame really. During his stay in Hoshido, he found that food was so abundant that he was able to snag plenty with what little money he had at the time but here… it was a whole other story.

People in the cities could barely scrape together food, maybe he was lucky to meet Corrin… As a royal, she would have access to plenty of food for her and her servants while the citizens of Nohr would starve.

But the politics of Nohr wasn't his job to worry about, he's got a chess game to win.

The boy was currently in a match against Leo, the two were in the castle's library with the board set on to one of the tables. The two were finishing up their third round, ready to break the tie between them. Pawns on both ends completely wiped off the board and both Kings still on the board. August was left with his queen, bishops, and a rook. While Leo was left with his knights, bishops, and rook.

Leo moved his knight to the southeast of the board, taking out August's rook. But seeing an opportunity, August moved in with his queen. "Checkmate!"

"Wha-? Ugh… It seems I've lost…" Leo grumbled, bringing a hand to his forehead.

"I barely won there Milord. I mean, I made quite a few mistakes there. If you acted on more of them, you would have won easily. Like that one move where I left my knight out in the open earlier in the round with no support, but you focused your attention on getting to my king."

"Hm… I suppose some more critical thinking on the fly is needed to be an effective strategist. I think I need to work on that."

"As do I. After all, those who constantly seek to better themselves are the ones who are going to end up on top. But I do have to say, having someone challenge me in chess is quite an experience!"

"Indeed." Leo grinned, leaning back in his chair as he smiled at August. "I'm actually quite sick of winning all the time against my siblings. It's surprising to have a different outcome."

"Well, then… The next time we ever have a match, you better bring your A game Milord!" August stood up from his chair, cleaning up the pieces before leaving the library.

Today was his last day here in Krakenburg, he was given one last assessment by Nohrian officials and Iago to see more of his capabilities. Allowing them to peek over more of his notes that he brought with him, although he made he sure to observe them in order to keep them from ruining them. There was something about Iago, he couldn't put his trust in him.

Everytime Iago would give him a glance, his eyes felt like they were trying to set him on fire with its intensity. He would mock August every chance he got, saying things like '_A boy like you shouldn't be playing with such books' _or '_A child like you couldn't possibly understand these battle plans'_, constantly bringing up the fact that he was a child. But screw that conceited corpse! He was very mature for his age! He was fourteen! Almost fifteen in a few months!

Getting that snobby skeleton out of his head, August went to go pack his things. Getting ready to return to the Northern Fortress. His stay here wasn't all that bad actually. In the few days in Krakenburg, he was able to come across more studies and books on the subject of tactics and war in the libraries to cram as much information he could. He would also go down to the churches in Windmire to look over the religious aspect of Nohrian culture.

Learning of the Dusk Dragon, Eróbos, who had helped lead to the foundation of Nohr once he offered his blood and the weapons Siegfried and Brynhildr to the first king and queen respectively during the war of dragons.

August knew well of the ancient war during his ventures, the war was fought between twelve dragons for the sake of ruling over the world. The battle mostly resided in what was now the continent of Rāgea, a few of the dragons then involving humans in the fray as their little pawns to fight their battle once they offered them their blood. But the battle soon began to halt as the dragons that once fought in the war began to disappear one by one with no victor ruling over the world.

The outcome of the battle had the humans who were offered power from the dragons, go on to form their own kingdoms in Rāgea. Most notably, the kingdoms of Nohr and Hoshido. The two superpowers were formed by the champions of Eróbos and the Dawn Dragon, Byakuja. And much like Nohr, the first king and queen were given the blood of Byakuja and divine weapons from their god. The katana of lighting, Raijinto, and the bow of wind, Fujin Yumi. The two dragons of these two kingdoms still being worshipped today.

The whole thing oddly left him with a sense of anger and disappointment for some odd reason, almost like he experienced it first hand… and yet, _he didn't_. It was strange...

* * *

Alongside cramming his studies and learning more about the history of Rāgea, he would spend some time with the royals. Playing games with Elise in the courtyard like hide-and-seek or tag, having games of chess with Leo while discussing magic and tactics of war, sipping tea with Camilla while he spoke about Corrin's studies. The only person he wasn't able to spend much time with was Xander. Although as crown prince, he was sure the man was constantly busy.

The four were honestly really good people, no wonder why Corrin was so excited to see them again. But he and his liege would see them again soon, right now… _It was back to the fort, he goes._

* * *

**So there you have it, August has the ability to see people's aura and cast magic without tomes which make him somewhat OP but I made sure to have some limits on what he can do. I also made it clear that he in no way is stronger than Leo in terms of magic, I wanted him to be a character that has more to his arsenal but make sure that he's definitely not the strongest person in the soon to be army. **

**Also, I gave Fateslandia a name! Rāgea comes from the word Regalia, Latin for royal, but I altered the shit out of it. And the dragons mentioned I have something planned out for their back story, so watch out for that. I would also like to thank ZerkMonsterHunter4 for the idea of origin of the first royals of Nohr and Hoshido in his Fates rewrite. I won't be taking his whole rewrite but I just thought this was a really cool idea and that something like this, should have been in the original story. **

**Also one last thing, this is probably the most important, you won't be seeing any new chapters soon as I want to finish up this arc of the story and get into the actual story of the game. You'll probably see two or more chapters of "The Simpler Days". I'll be busy writing the rest of the arc then post them once I'm done. **

**And with that, I'll see you next time.**


End file.
